US Election 2024: Donald Trump says he’s willing to debate Kamala Harris three times

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump says he is prepared to debate Kamala Harris live on three networks. Photo / Getty Images

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said he is willing to debate his Democratic rival Kamala Harris three times in September on different networks.

Trump said he wanted to hold debates on September 4 on Fox, September 10 on NBC and September 25 on ABC. He did not offer specific terms, such as whether there would be an audience, and it was not immediately clear whether his campaign had made a proposal to Harris’ camp.

The press conference on Thursday (today NZ) at his Palm Beach, Florida, residence was Trump’s first public appearance since Harris selected Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate on Tuesday (Wednesday NZ).

Harris, the US Vice President, and Walz headlined rallies in the battleground states of Michigan and Wisconsin on Wednesday (Thursday NZ), drawing tens of thousands of attendees in a fresh sign of how her late entry into the race has galvanised Democrats.

Her rapid rise, following President Joe Biden’s decision last month to abandon his faltering campaign, has sent Trump’s team scrambling to recalibrate their strategy and messaging. Opinion polls show Harris has erased the lead Trump had built over Biden, and Democrats have raked in hundreds of millions of dollars from voters and big donors in a matter of weeks.

Harris and Walz were scheduled to meet with auto workers in Detroit today, following the United Auto Workers union’s endorsement of their candidacy, as part of a push to mobilise blue-collar workers in key battleground states.

The Harris campaign cancelled events in North Carolina and Georgia, where Tropical Storm Debby is bringing heavy rain and dangerous flooding. The Democrats will head to Arizona and Nevada later this week, visiting two more swing states likely to play a key role in the November 5 election.

Trump’s running mate, Senator JD Vance, of Ohio, also cancelled campaign events in North Carolina because of the storm. He has spent the last few days trailing Harris and Walz around the country, an unusual move intended to provide a “contrast”, he told reporters.

The Trump campaign has criticised Harris for not taking questions from reporters since launching her campaign two and a half weeks ago.

Trump has conducted a steady stream of media interviews, though they are usually with friendly, right-leaning outlets and reporters. On Wednesday (Thursday NZ), he called into the Fox & Friends morning programme and took questions from the programme’s hosts.